Michigan Tech holds fall commencement ceremony

HOUGHTON — More than three hundred Michigan Tech Students made the transition into graduates over the weekend as the university held it’s fall commencement ceremony. Many of the graduates with technical degrees will be advancing into their careers with the finest technological training.

You can tell it’s graduation at Michigan Tech, when area hotels are booked solid, and Husky pride fills the student development complex on a Saturday morning. Parents, siblings, and loved ones filled two levels of bleachers in the Wood gym, while 325 eager graduates awaited that walk across the stage to feel what it’s like to have a college degree.

This year’s commencement address was delivered by University Board Chairman, Terry Woychowski who will conclude his eighth year term at the year’s end. The ceremony also featured graduating student speaker, Rose Turner who is using that degree to begin a career in the field of energy.

“Graduation is marking the end of my journey at Tech,” said Turner. “But it’s also marking the beginning of my journey into a career in renewable energy.”

ABC 10 viewers first met Rose and her housemates earlier this year when she gave us a tour of MTU’s sustainability house that uses green technology, aquaponic gardening, and various methods of recycling, in an attempt to reduce their overall carbon footprint.

“I’ll be working with Westwood Professional Services,” added Turner. “They are the nations largest renewable energy company. I’ll be designing multi megawatt solar and wind farms on a daily basis.”

Rose will be using some of her experiences with solar energy from the sustainability project at her new position. And we wish her the best.

“The sustainability house has really given me a lot of experience in the renewable energy field, specifically because we have our own solar array. It’s really given me a great introduction to this career path and I’m excited to apply everything I’ve learned at the house to my future job.”

The graduation ceremony gives start to exam week for the university which will lead into winter break at the end of the week.

“I’m really sad to leave a lot of the organizations that I’m involved in. But I’m really happy to be done with exams, lab reports, and home work. I need a break from that for sure.”